What Can I Do With a Master's in Psychology

For virtually careers, providing professional person services using psychological cognition requires a doctoral degree in psychology, and these careers are frequently chosen professional or health service psychology. However, psychology careers for individuals holding master's degrees are available in multiple occupational settings and in fields beyond the discipline. The need for jobs at this level of training is reflected in the growth of master's psychology degrees — from slightly below 18,000 in 2003 to most 28,000 in 2013. Similarly, the National Scientific discipline Foundation reports growth during the past decade in research-focused psychology main'south degrees: approximately 15,000 in 2003 and 22,000 in 2011.

For some, the master's degree offers additional background in psychology prior to applying to doctoral study — either to gain deeper understanding of psychological principles or to obtain research and/or clinical experience to enhance a doctoral awarding. But for others, the terminal master's degree (i.eastward., not leading to a doctoral caste) offers the necessary credential for entry into the workforce. This article explores just a few of the career options for chief's caste recipients in psychology.

Psychology Careers for Chief'southward Graduates

When pursuing a concluding primary's caste, what kinds of psychology careers do primary'due south graduates obtain? Although licensed independent do in psychology typically requires a doctoral degree in a health service provider subfield (e.g., clinical, counseling and school) along with other grooming (e.g., internship, postdoctoral residency and examination), there are some exceptions and opportunities for individuals with master'south-level training in wellness services.

A few states permit licensed practice with a master'due south-level degree in a health service psychology subfield; typically clinical, counseling and school psychology. Licensure is the machinery past which states in the Us and provinces in Canada regulate the practice of psychology and some of these jurisdictions permit master's-level educated individuals a express scope of practice under supervision of a licensed doctoral-level psychologist possessing either a PhD or PsyD. Those working in direct service at this level are typically distinguished from psychologists by the title of "psychological associate" or something similar. In rare cases, a master'due south degree combined with supervised experience and exam may be sufficient for independent practice. In some jurisdictions, individuals with a principal'due south degree in school psychology or an education specialist (EdS) degree may practice within school settings (e.one thousand., unproblematic and secondary). If you lot are interested in these career options, it is recommended that you research licensure and do regulations for the state(s) in which you intend to work prior to matriculation. A starting point is the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards.

Opportunities in Industrial/Organizational Psychology

Another area of opportunity for master'south graduates is plant in the practice of Industrial/Organizational (I/O) psychology. I/O psychology is a subfield of psychology that studies and applies psychological science to individual and group beliefs in workplace and organizational settings. I/O trained individuals may work in man resources, consulting, nonprofit and corporate settings by providing applied psychological expertise and in teaching in academic settings to a express degree. Indeed, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Guidelines for Education & Training at the Main's Level in Industrial-Organizational Psychology in reporting on the state of that field found, "At that place were very few master's graduates in academic roles, whereas main's graduates were more highly represented in jobs such as compensation, training, data assay and generalist man resource management positions compared with doctoral graduates."

Students considering I/O psychology have admission to robust resource to understand the profession and the education required for different types of work across the field. In particular, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology conducts a regular income survey (PDF, 359KB) offer insights into not simply income, but also types of work settings in which main's-level individuals are employed and where they piece of work in the The states. For example, more than 75 percent of primary's-level survey respondents were employed in individual sector positions and for practitioners with 15-19 years of experience, the median bacon was $125,000 across all employment settings. Entry-level consultants with main's degrees in I/O psychology earned a median of $60,000 in 2012.

Social Psychology Careers

Equally in I/O psychology, academic careers are limited for those with a main's caste in other psychology subfields. Still, individuals educated in social psychology discover employment in research settings and academic positions at community colleges. The Order for Social and Personality Psychology, a division of the American Psychological Clan, offers all-encompassing programming for students at its annual conference including mentoring programs to promote the field and increase representation of various groups. Conferences and networking expose prospective graduate students to career options and information on the pedagogy required for various professional pathways in social and personality psychology.

The Field of Forensic Psychology

Forensic psychology is another field in demand. Forensic psychologists are employed in criminal justice settings (east.g., prisons, detention centers) and positions incorporating psychology and law (e.g., personal injury) past applying psychological principles to service populations engaged in civil and criminal matters. Similar clinical and counseling psychology, forensic psychologists hold doctoral degrees for independent practice, but master's-level professionals find opportunities within a limited scope of practice. The American Psychology-Law Society, Div. 41 of APA, offers information well-nigh the prospects of the field and employment opportunities. Additionally, the APA offers data on forensic careers.

If you are interested in a psychology career only unsure almost committing to a doctoral degree, a master'due south degree may offer the career path you lot seek. Hopefully this commodity offered you a few ideas. Bottom line: Ask questions and do inquiry before yous apply. The Office of Graduate and Postgraduate Teaching & Preparation at APA offers resources to help you and you are welcome to contact us straight with any questions. You can learn more than by visiting our Frequently Asked Questions page.

About the writer

Daniel S. Michalski, PhD, currently serves as the acquaintance director for graduate and postgraduate education and preparation at APA. In this chapters, he manages the PSYCAS, the centralized application service for graduate report in psychology. Throughout his tenure at APA, Michalski has disseminated data on psychology education, specialized accreditation and workforce issues through articles, reports, presentations at conferences, invited panel sessions and continuing education sessions.

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Source: https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psn/2017/01/masters-careers